Emergency overnight shelters should be brought back into widespread use for the homeless in Aberdeen, according to a charity boss.
Mark Thomson, manager of the Shelter Scotland office in Aberdeen, has called for the return of overnight accommodation in the city for those in desperate need.
Currently, a number of options are available for those without a permanent place to sleep, including the city council’s homelessness unit on West North Street and temporary flats across the city.
But for those in emergency situations who aren’t able to take advantage of the current facilities on offer, Mr Thomson says Aberdeen needs more solutions.
He explained that due to the lack of options, certain individuals are forced to camp out in areas like Union Terrace Gardens.
Mr Thomson said: “Although there’s a lot of provision for homelessness in the city, that accommodation can’t be accessed if the council has discharged its responsibility to that person or if they are deemed ineligible.
“For instance, if you are an EU national without any right to reside, or you have no recourse to public funding, you basically end up on the street.
“Some of the churches used to open up and offer this service, but that was stopped – it provided a great deal of help to the homeless in the city.
“So without the overnight provision of night shelters, we have a number of people who are forced to live on the streets.”
Last year, Shelter recorded 1,157 individuals who were assessed as homeless in the city.
Mr Thomson explained that a great deal of them have found themselves on the streets due to the downturn in the oil and gas industry.
He said that without night shelters, many individuals in dire situations are not able to focus on getting their lives back on track because of the constant worry of finding somewhere safe to sleep that night.
He added: “Overnight accommodation offers the chance to stay somewhere warm, secure and dry to lie down for the night, gather your thoughts, plan what you want to do next and then go on to access all the services available.”
To find out more about Shelter’s work and discover how to help, visit www.shelterscotland.org
